Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 4.
The need to resolve a zombie plot hole is even more pressing asThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 2 reveals additional information about variants. Since their official introduction during season 11,The Walking Dead’s zombie variantshave been stumbling and scrambling all across the franchise. Unfortunately, the specifics of how and why variants exist, as well as the extent of their abilities, have only been defined in the loosest terms.Each show in AMC’sThe Walking Deaduniverseseems to offer its own individual take on the variant concept, raising questions and contradictions aplenty.
The variant twist has prompted much head-scratching since it happened, but viewer scalps are taking extra punishment as more and more conflicting pieces of the puzzle are added, none of which make the overall picture any clearer. One such piece comes inDaryl Dixonseason 2, episode 3, “L’Invisible,” in which Melissa McBride’s Carol watchesGenet’s evil Pouvoir du Vivant groupturn a small crowd of zombies into variants using a serum created by Dr. Lafleur.
Daryl Dixon Says The French Variants Were Created By Pouvoir, But World Beyond Claimed Otherwise
Are Variants Made Or Born In The Walking Dead?
Previously,Daryl Dixonmade clear that variants were being created by Pouvoir du Vivant, most notably the super-zombies brought out during the gladiatorial-style fight ofDaryl Dixonseason 1’s ending. Season 2, however, doubles down hard on Pouvoir being responsible for France’s variants. As they watch the experiments in action, Carol’s short-lived ally, Remy, describes how theburner variants fromDaryl Dixonseason 1also originated inside Dr. Lafleur’s lab. Effectively,Daryl Dixonattributes the creation of all its variants to Pouvoir du Vivant.
Daryl Dixon’s Zombie Variants Explained: Powers, Origin & Walking Dead Connection
Zombie variants have become an increasingly important part of The Walking Dead, and Daryl Dixon has showcased some unique forms of the undead.
The plot hole emerges when comparingDaryl Dixon’s version of events againstThe Walking Dead: World Beyondseason 2’s post-credits scene, which gave a very different explanation for the presence of variants in France. The latter strongly hinted that the same scientists who developedThe Walking Dead’s zombie virusthen created variants, most likely by accident. And whereas Pouvoir’s super-zombies are generated by administering a special serum post-reanimation,the variant seen inWorld Beyonddisplayed enhanced abilities immediately after coming back to life.
World BeyondandDaryl Dixonoffer very different accounts of why France is crawling with zombie variants, but the two explanations can coexist.It is entirely possible that France is home to both Pouvoir variants andWorld Beyondvariants, but the second kind simply hasn’t appeared inDaryl Dixonyet. Likewise, theWorld Beyond’s variants may have been so rare that they died out years beforeDaryl Dixon’s timeline. Plenty of plausible explanations exist;The Walking Deadjust needs to pick one, drop the necessary exposition, and stick to it.
Daryl Dixon is only makingThe Walking Dead’s variant inconsistencies more glaring.
As long asDaryl Dixoncontinues to act likeWorld Beyondnever happened, the spinoff will look like it’s ignoring an older show in favor of writing a whole new backstory for French variants. The purpose of a shared universe - a categoryThe Walking Deadundeniably falls into at this point - is to draw connections between individual releases and give audiences a sense of narrative cohesion. By implying that France’s variants are entirely the work of Pouvoir and ignoring revelations made elsewhere,Daryl Dixonis only makingThe Walking Dead’s variant inconsistenciesmore glaring.
Even ifDaryl Dixonmanages to bridge the divide between its own variants andWorld Beyond’s, that would only solve one part ofThe Walking Dead’s zombie riddle. Far away from France, the mainThe Walking Deadseries has shown climber and roamer variants - more intelligent, agile zombies that can open doors, use objects, climb ladders, and block attacks. The problem here concernsThe Walking Dead’s timeline, as this particular variant was present in season 1, then fell off the radar until season 11, at which point they became surprisingly prevalent.
These plot holes are not insurmountable, but audiences have not been left enough breadcrumbs to deduce the right solution without guidance.
At the very least,The Walking Deadmust explain why these climbing zombies suddenly increased in numberduring the Commonwealth arc. Delving into why variants exist would be the easiest way to do that and, once again, there are plenty of plausible routesThe Walking Deadcan take. Maybe travelers carrying the climber variant arrived in the US from France shortly before the outbreak, those early variants died out, then Pouvoir brought them back when setting up in the US years later. Alternatively,The Walking Deadseason 11’s variants might represent an evolution, and the examples from season 1 were just one-off flukes.
Is Laurent Immune In The Walking Dead?
In episode 2 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Laurent’s flashback hints at something that could completely change the whole franchise.
These plot holes are not insurmountable, but audiences have not been left enough breadcrumbs to deduce the right solution without guidance. In one of its upcoming releases,The Walking Deadmust find time to lay down the lore on variant zombies, first by clearing up the confusion betweenThe Walking Dead:Daryl DixonandWorld Beyondin France, then by clarifying why variants are suddenly getting a population boom over 10 years into the apocalypse.
“La Gentillesse des Étrangers”
“Au Revoir les Enfants”
November 3
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In a post-apocalyptic France, the series follows Daryl Dixon as he navigates the complexities of a new landscape. Separated from his familiar world, Daryl faces unexpected challenges and forges new alliances while confronting the lingering threats of a walker-infested reality.
